diceerson



{No Model.)

B. N. D'ICKERSON.

PROCESS OF BURNING AGETYLENB GAS. No. 602,833.

Patented Apr. 26, 1898.

E/VMM UNITED STATES PATENT rricn.

EDIVARD N. DICKERSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PROCESS OF BURNING ACETYLENE GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 602,833, dated April26, 1898.

Application filed December 31, 1895. Serial No. 573,884:- (Nospecimens.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be itknown that I, EDWARD N. DICKERSON, of No. 253 Broadway, in thecity, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Processes of and Apparatus for Burning Acetylene Gas, ofwhich the following is a full, true, and exact descript-ion, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings.

In the burning of pure acetylene gas in ordinary burners a seriousdifficulty has been encountered, arising from the fact that an ordinaryburner-say of one-foot capacity-while burning properly for a short time,after, say, three or more hours of burning deposits carbon on thedelivery and gradually chokes the burner. Many different forms ofburners have been used in the effort to avoid this deposit. I havediscovered that this deposit can be prevented by superheating the gasbefore its arrival at the point of combustion. This is not accomplishedin an ordinary burner, and, in fact, the burners now in use for thispurpose are especially adapted to cool the gas, since they consist ofmetal casings which conduct away readily the heat of the flame, so thatthe point of delivery of the gas is not sufficiently hot to prevent thedeposit of carbon. This deposition can be prevented in two ways, eitherby forming a burner in such a way as that the gas itself is sufficientlysuperheated before it arrives at the point of combustion or by carryingthe gas before its delivery to the burner through a superheating device.

The apparatus for carrying my processes into effect are shown in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a verticalcross-section of my improved burner adapted to carry my process intoeifect, and Fig. 2 a modification showing a superheating device.

In Fig. 1, A represents a metallic burner, preferably of the union-jetvariety, having comparatively small gas openings therethrough and beingpreferably of metal. This metallic burner is supported in theheat-insulating collar 13, which may be made of porcelain or similarinsulating material, the collar B resting in the ordinary burner-columnC. The result of this arrangement is that the metal portion A becomeshot and the heat is retained therein, not escaping past the insulator B.The acetylene gas is therefore The temperature to which the gas maybeheated varies within considerable limits; but

a temperature of from 300 to 350 Fahrenheit produces satisfactoryresults. Of course the temperature must not be so great as to cause thedecomposition of the acetylene.

In the form shown in Fig. 2, Ais aburner, which may be of any kn ownsuitable variety. It is supported in the socket B, resting in the column0. The socket B is preferably, but not necessarily, of insulatingmaterial. The column 0 is provided with the delivery-pipe D, whichpasses up into proximity to the flame and then delivers into the socketl3 and thence to the burner. In this way the acetylene gas issuperheated before its delivery.

It has been generally believed that the deposit of carbon was due to thetoo hot condition of the gas at the point of delivery, since acetylenegas decomposes at a red heat, depositing carbon. As a matterof fact,however, the difficulties from deposited carbon are due, as I havediscovered, to an opposite condition-namely, the too low temperature ofthe escaping acetylene gas. By means of this superheating device a veryserious difficulty is overcome.

I am aware that regenerative gas-burners of the general Siemens type areold 5 but those burners are constructed for the purpose of giving anincreased light,whereas by my process there is no material difference inthe illumination; but the difficulty existing in the previous processesis overcome by the discovery of a principle which seems to be contraryto the generally-accepted theories on this subject.

Nhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

The process of burning acetylene gas,which consists in superheating thesame, before its delivery at the point of combustion, to a suitabletemperature substantially as specified to prevent the deposition ofcarbon at theburner, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

E. N. DIOKEBSON.

\Vitnesses:

H. COUTANT, W. LAIRD GOLDSBOROUGH.

